Points of Light is a gazetteer for four separate lands. It is 48 pages and retails for $12.99. Each land has a map done in old school style with numbered hexes. Each lands has text describing a series of geographical locations and locales keyed to the numbed hex grid.

The product is system neutral with minimal stats. What stats there are are suitable for all editions of AD&D/D&D and other fantasy RPGs. By happy chance the concepts and idea used for several of the lands was similar to those promoted for the latest edition. The product had it's origins in Wizard's in not giving me permission for doing a Wilderlands style treatment of the Outdoor Survival Map. They were nice about it particularly in steering me to the right person to ask. But in the end they said no.

Example Entry

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0913 Sam’s Landing (Hamlet)This small hamlet of mud huts is the marshalling area for Baron Beldon’s raids on the trade caravan passing between Westguard and Bolzak. There are usually several dozen canoes and a handful of barges pulled onto shore at any time. In the center of the hamlet is the Green Frog Inn, where Tom Lodon (Rog6) rules the thugs and pirates of Sam’s Landing with an iron fist. Nailed to a post next to his “throne” is the shriveled head of Sam Dalton, the former chief of the hamlet. Over 40 pirates and raiders live in the hamlet, along with a dozen women, and twenty slaves to tend potatoes patches. A good portion of the crop is used to brew Silver Lightning, a type of hard liquor. A dozen wererats (1 HD) live on the outskirts of town and are used as scouts on raids.

Each land is about 125 miles by 100 miles. They are provided with a minimal background to make it easy to add it to any referee's campaign.

The four lands presented are

Wildland: The fall of the Bright Empire left warring factions in its wake. As savage barbarians and wicked humanoids roam the land, the last bastions of civilization cower behind their crumbling city walls. A dark age has come, and none may live to tell the tale.

Southland: On the frontiers of the Great Kingdom, the nations of men, elves and dwarves join together against the wicked elves of Nighportal Keep and the Orcs of the Bloody Fist. A realm is yours for the taking, if you can carve it from the wilderness.

Borderland: Two factions clash over war-torn fields, battling for dominance in a civil war that that has torn a once-mighty empire in two. When brother strives against brother, and blood runs in the streets, who will emerge to unify the broken land -- and at what cost, peace?

The Swamps of Acheron: In the Outer Planes, amid fetid swamplands and ice-choked mountains, the fell god Sarrath holds court. In a realm where gods stalk the earth, will you dare to take a stand, or will you succumb to evil's siren song and take up the Serpent Banner?

The partial map posted, which of the 4 Points of Light settings is it from?

In the middle of Southland

Some excerpts

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IntroductionSouthland is meant to pay homage to the early daysof role-playing. Back then, high-level play was aboutbuilding and defending your own barony. Since theoriginal game was about dungeon crawling, players andDMs that wanted outdoor adventures were forced toturn to other games to meet their needs. One solutionwas the game Outdoor Survival by Avalon Hill, whichincluded a board that could be used as a wilderness mapthat players could explore. Dave Arneson, one of theauthors of the original edition, originated the use ofthis board and placed it south of his main campaign. Ashis campaign progressed, several of the players began toclear the map of monsters and build their own baronies.It is in the spirit of those early days that this area isnamed Southland. A land of few realms and many wideopenspaces, Southland is an area where your playerscan establish their own realms.

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BackgroundHere on the wild frontier, adventurers struggle topush back the wilderness. Mile by mile they push backthe monsters and move the boundaries of civilizationforward. Opposing them are the Blood Fist orcs, thedark elves of the Underrealm, and renegades from theGrand Kingdom, yet there are allies to be found withinthe Southland.Where the Sarduin and the Darkwine rivers join, theGrand Kingdom has founded its first major settlement,Castle Westguard. The settlement is growing due inlarge part to the thriving trade between the GrandKingdom and the Dwarves of Bolzak. The dwarvessend shipments of weapons, iron, and gold throughtheir port at Nilik, which is then shipped by barge toCastle Westguard, and finally moved by caravan overthe Golden Pass to the Grand Kingdom. The dwarvesalso trade with the halflings of Dunshire, who bartergrain and fruit for protection and iron ore.South of Westguard lies the elven realm of Silverdim,the last outpost of the elves in Southland. Over 200 yearsago the Bloody Fist orcs, led by the dragon Arcador,invaded the elven homeland of Silverwood. The orcslaid waste to Silverwood, slaughtered many elves, andclaimed the forest as their own. After the orc invasion,the remnants of the elves regrouped and traveled east,eventually establishing a haven in Silverdim. TheSilverwood remains dominated by the orcs to this day,and has been renamed the Blood Forest.The dark elves of House Ardize have established anoutpost at Nightportal Keep, and have decided toexpand their power to the surface world. They haverecently made contact with the evil Baron Beldon, whodwells in a castle to the north, beneath The SunsetRim. Beldon is an infamous traitor from a kingdom tothe north, and rumor has it that the baron betrayed hisking and fled to Southland to escape an almost certainexecution. Currently, he deals in slaves and contraband,and has carved out a small realm for himself on the backof these nefarious activities. The Baron has welcomedthe advances of the dark elves, and a tentative alliancehas grown between the two evil powers.Scattered throughout the Southland are the ruins ofthe Bright Empire. A thousand years ago, the Empirewas a shining force for good until their own hubrisbrought them down. Today, the relics and artifacts ofthe Bright Empire are eagerly sought for their potentpower, despite the rumors that the gods have cursedmany of them.

A section that is standard to all the maps where I talk about the premises for the maps and what needed to be done to place the map in your campaign.

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Adaptation NotesSouthland can be any frontier region of a kingdom inyour campaign. Any ancient empire in your campaign’shistory can work in place of the Bright Empire. TheUnderrealm is a common feature in many fantasycampaigns, and House Ardize can be replaced with asuitable dark elf enemy of your choice. If no dark elvesexist, any non-human, evil race can be substituted.The Bloody Fist Orcs are numerous enough that evena determined party of high-level adventures won’t ableto destroy them in a single fight. Their lair may bedestroyed several times, but they will keep coming backuntil the players can scour the Blood Forest clean oftheir presence.The trade between Bolzak, Westguard, and the GrandKingdom has established a rudimentary economy thatplayers may expand when they establish their ownbaronies. Threats to this economy can serve as the basisfor many adventures as the brigands of Castle Beldonraid the caravans and river routes.

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The Mist FallsA rainbow cloud of mist marks these spectacularhundred-foot-high falls. On a clear day the mist cloudcan be seen two hexes away. Legend has it there is anentrance to the fey realm hidden behind the falls. BaronBeldon has sent two expeditions to find this entrance,but none have returned.

The Sunset RimThe Sunset Rim is an escarpment averaging 60 feethigh. It runs for nearly 50 miles, forming the base of theRedstone Mountains. The rim’s base holds numerouscaves inhabited by tribes of troglodytes, except nearBaron Beldon’s realm, where the baron’s slavers use thecaves as holding pens for their humanoid stock.

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Wicking LakeThis is the largest lake in Southland. Eight miles longand five miles wide, it reaches depths of 100 feet. Thelocal fishermen claim to have seen a crystalline city ofunearthly beauty within the depths of the lake. Thesoutheast shore is infested with harpies.

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WolfwoodThese woods are inhabited by giant aurochs along withpacks of worgs that prey on them. The woods are alsoknown to have a huge variety of herbs, including manyrare varieties eagerly sought by alchemists.

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1114 Westfield (Hamlet)A dozen long, wooden barracks and a stone manor housemake up this hamlet. Here Lord Farris (Ftr6) runs alatifundium with nearly 100 slaves (nearly all human),5 guards (Ftr3), and 10 overseers (Ftr1) who superviseslaves in the fields. The slave labor in Westfield suppliesnearly all of the food for Castle Beldon (Hex 1214).Westfield is also home to Captain Travis (Rgr5) and hisfour slave hunters (Rgr3), employed by Baron Beldonto hunt escapees. They often patrol the land, out to tenmiles (two hexes) around the various settlements.

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1214 Castle Beldon (Castle)Baron Victor Beldon was once one of the GrandKingdom’s most powerful nobles. Twenty years ago theking died and the baron unveiled a plot to force thesuccession council to name him king. He failed; andwhen the new king was crowned, Beldon was nameda traitor. With his life in grave peril, Baron Beldongathered one hundred of his most trusted men andfled over the Westwall into the wild. The baron foundseveral small hamlets and conquered them, settlingthere with his men. When his scouts found a superblocation for a castle on the Sunset Rim, the baron forcedthe people of the conquered hamlets to relocate. AfterCastle Beldon was built, the survivors were separatedinto two hamlets and forced to work as slaves, growingfood for the baron and his men.With increasing trade between Bolzak and Westguard,Baron Beldon began to recruit desperate men eagerto raid. The arrival of the dark elves provided muchneeded allies. Victor Beldon’s new opportunities haveallowed him to plot his return to power in the GrandKingdom.Castle Beldon is built on a low mesa next to the SunsetRim. The only pathway snakes upward on the remainsof a collapsed ridge that once connected the mesa to therim on the southeast side. The other faces of the mesaare sheer cliffs ranging from 50 to 100 feet high. Thereis a spring present at the top of the mesa. The pressureof an underground river forcing its way up the cracksforms the spring.Baron Victor Beldon (Clr11) is a priest of the blood god,Azeel. His personal guard is commanded by a captain(Ftr7), and consists of 5 guards (Ftr2). There are nearly120 bandits and light footmen living at the castle, alongwith 100 slaves and 20 camp followers. Along with thebandits, the baron supports a coven of 4 dark wizards(Wiz8, Wiz6, 2 Wiz2) to provide magical aid. He hasan acolyte, Saldor Balsign (Clr6), to lead his men in theblood rites of Azeel.

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1409 The Crocodile HunterA giant crocodile (10 HD) lives along the northwestshore of Wicking Lake. There is a 20% chance per daythe party is ambushed if they stay within 200 yards of theshoreline. The crocodile’s typical attack is to rush outof the water and grapple its target with a bite, and thendrag the victim back into the water until he drowns.

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1411 Ruined GloryThis site was once a tower used by the famed hippogriffsriders of the Bright Empire. The tower has long sincefallen into ruin, and only the foundation remains. Ahundred years ago, a crack in the foundation formed,allowing access to the bottom basements of the tower.The tower is currently occupied by 24 wererats (1 HD),20 giant rats (1 HD), and dozens of regular rats (1/4HD). In a forgotten chamber are the remains of theharnesses and gear once used by the hippogriff riders.A dozen full sets can be salvaged and repaired.

Author Note: There is another locale, not on the preview map, that relates to the above.

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1413 Mistfield (Hamlet)This hamlet consists of several barracks and a stonemanor house. The slaves of Mistfield grow delicaciesfor the baron and his men. Because of the Mist Falls,the area is considerably wetter than the rest of thebaron’s lands, allowing various fruit orchards and vinesto be grown. The hamlet consists of 80 slaves that tendthe orchards, 3 guards (Ftr3), and 8 overseers (Ftr1) tosupervise the slaves.

Gonna have to buy this for sure. This must have been so much fun to create.

Yes it was.

However a word of caution. After doing this I think I know one of the reason why we haven't seen this style of product before. After the first two dozen "ideas" you are still not done. And you have to come up with dozens more. With my own campaign I used a lot of stats and short hand so that even 20 years later I still know what in that locale. But that system is totally useless to another individual (something I learned when I had co-DMs) as it is too terse.

The Wilderlands of High Fantasy and this project was the first time I actually had to write out EVERYTHING and what a lot of work that was. However not having to stat everything to the Nth degree was a nice change of pace from Badabaskor. One thing I had to make sure of was to include a variety of plots and not focus solely on the types I run. When you read Borderlands, it is a good example of the type of stuff I run for my personal game.

Wildlands reflects Dwayne's style (who wrote most of it). Southland is from what I learned in the the last two years participating in the old school/retro gaming community. Swamps of Acheron is the only one from my home campaign but it atypical of the material I usually run. Dwayne helped a lot with that as he remembered more about that particular campaign than I did.

This sounds great, I always liked the how Wilderlands presented the hexes and lots of adventure ideas, but was overwhelmed by the size and it just seemed there was too much there. These "Points of Light" sound like much of the same but on a more managable scale.

Are the large X's on the actual map, or are they just on the preview? I'm hoping just the preview, I'd like to be able to show the map to my players, but knowing them they will head for the nearest X knowing that there is something there.

Are the large X's on the actual map, or are they just on the preview? I'm hoping just the preview, I'd like to be able to show the map to my players, but knowing them they will head for the nearest X knowing that there is something there.

I will submitting player maps to Joseph Goodman in the middle of August in the form of PDFs you can print out. Not only they will be missing the GM symbols (the Xs) but other features (like Southland won't have Nightshade Keep or Castle Beldon.

Are the large X's on the actual map, or are they just on the preview? I'm hoping just the preview, I'd like to be able to show the map to my players, but knowing them they will head for the nearest X knowing that there is something there.

I will submitting player maps to Joseph Goodman in the middle of August in the form of PDFs you can print out. Not only they will be missing the GM symbols (the Xs) but other features (like Southland won't have Nightshade Keep or Castle Beldon.

I was already psyched for this based on maps and utility alone - I've recently started a wilderness sandbox campaign and am learning how much work it takes to stay ahead of wherever the players might go next. But somehow I didn't pick up from other previews I've seen that this drew on a long-term campaign of yours, and that makes me even more psyched. I love the lived-in feel of a campaign setting that's grown out of actual play. For sure writing up your game notes for others to use must have been a ton of work - but playtesting is also an important part of development work that I think is easily skimped on, and hearing that tons of that work happened up front (probably before you even started thinking of it as work) is IMO a great indicator of quality material.

So can we hear some details and war stories from the campaign? You guys will never hear a more sincere request to "tell me about your characters"

_________________Co-author:Forgotten Heroes: Fist, Fang, and Song and Scythe and Shroud; Heroes' Handbook: Eladrin; and two finished Goodman projects that haven't been announced yet, with others on the drawing board!

Also while Acheron does come pretty much as is from my campaign. However other three are inspired by my campaign rather than direct copies. Basically taking various situations and making them them more approachable so that it is easier for you to run out of the box. The originals situations are far more complex.

Eventually it is my hope to publish my world as is. The trick is to do that and make the individual parts useful in of themselves. I don't want to repeat the old main box/ gazetteer paradigm.

Points of Light is an important step to learn how to do this. As well as an opportunity for Goodman Games and myself to get some fun stuff out there for people to play and enjoy.

Additionally, these maps are just fantastic. How are the setting maps going to be presented in the points of Light product (full page, half page)? Have you ever considered just making these types of maps?

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